Friday, 29 January 2016

The highlights of the album come when the band is at their most
focused and aggressive. Frenetic parting shot "Nevermore" is the best
example of this, a breathless track of furious drumming and relentless, ugly riffs
which brings to mind Manchester's much-missed Hammers. Tracks like "Karg" and
"Homecoming" sound like early Mastodon tussling with Cult of Luna in
a sweaty basement - hardcore grit and metallic crunch combine with electrifying
results

Leipzig quartet Throwers
are the latest in a series of awesome bands who have crafted a characteristic
German, metallic D.I.Y sound. Following the likes of Trainwreck, Planks
and Lentic Waters, the band deliver a lethal
concoction of chaotic screamo, crusty punk, dark riffs and post metal flourishes.
"Loss" is their debut
full-length consisting of seven tracks of searing fury, continuing the fine
tradition of their forebearers.

The highlights of the album come when the band
is at their most focused and aggressive. Frenetic parting shot "Nevermore" is the best
example of this, a breathless track of furious drumming and relentless, ugly riffs
which brings to mind Manchester's much-missed Hammers.

Throwers
distinguish themselves from their peers by upping the stakes in terms of heavy
riffs and epic atmosphere. Tracks like "Karg"
and "Homecoming" sound
like early Mastodon tussling with Cult of Luna
in a sweaty basement - hardcore grit and metallic crunch combine with
electrifying results. The band even throw in some spidery off-kilter,
riff-mangling in "Unarmed",
hinting at a penchant for mathematical complexity. It would be great to see
them explore this further on future releases.

"Loss" is a strong statement of intent
from Throwers, a short, sharp burst of intensity that's sure to enrapture many
in 2016.

The
subject of today’s interview at The Sludgelord, needs little if no introduction,
indeed followers of the doom scene will no doubt be familiar with Jon
Davis. Founded in 2006 Conan
initially started as a two piece, taking inspiration from power duos such as
Oxford based Winnebago
Deal, the first incarnation of Conan would release ‘Battle in the Swamp’ a year later, a track that would go on to be a
stable tune of their live set for years to come.

Releasing
the brilliantly monikerd ‘Horseback
Battle Hammer’ in 2010, the band slowly began to garner increasing praise
amongst the underground, featuring in Metal Hammer’s “Subterranean,” indeed this was
the first time the band came to my attention, reading a review which lauded the
band’s down tuned and droning approach to doom, I promptly bought the cd and
was blown away by the dense nature of their music. Subsequently with the release of ‘Monnos’ in 2012, the praise began to
broaden further still, due in no small part to their crushing track ‘Hawk As Weapon’ and for many remains
their ‘hit’, in much the same way as ‘Enter
Sandman’ for Metallica, not in terms of records sold obviously, but a
piece of music that fans can most readily latch onto. I mean, man that groove is just crushing and
you can’t fail to bang your head to the track

Band
members would leave and be replaced, a studio would be built ‘Skyhammer’
and eventually Conan,
do the unthinkable and ‘out doom themselves’ (if that’s not a thing, I want
copyright) to produce a more progressive and emphatic statement with ‘Blood Eagle’
in 2014. After relentless touring,
covering the UK, Europe and their first trip across the pond, releasing a
succession of critically lauded music on his own Black Bow Records imprint, you
could be forgiven for thinking Jon Davis would take some time off, but no. On
15th October 2015 there was an announcement that Conan’s
third record was ready for release entitled ‘Revengeance’ and with release on the record today, excitement
levels are reaching fever pitch, if our social media pages are anything to do
by. .

Ostensibly
with a full year of touring ahead of themselves in 2016, there is likely to be
very little downtime for Jon and his hooded menaces, however today, we take some time to get the low down on
band activities and what fans can anticipate from this heavyweight band

SL). Jon, first of all, welcome back to The Sludgelord. I think the last time we talked, you played Sheffield at an intimate little gig, and at time ‘Blood
Eagle’ had or was due to be released. (NB it was actually when we spoke at The
Star and Garter, supporting Church
of Misery) Anyway
I remember you talking about Black Bow Records,
indeed what I garnered from our chat was your enthusiasm for what you do,
whether it’s the band, the label etc. Certainly
the last 12 – 18 months has been a busy time for you, with little signs of
slowing down and with the release of ‘Revengeance’ literally a few weeks away, your enthusiasm
for what you do seems to be steadfast and unwavering, what’s your secret?

Hey Aaron. I
always throw myself 100% into those things I am most interested in. The label
has certainly grown since we started out and I’m glad to say that it has
exceeded my expectations so far. It’s hard work, certainly to balance
everything out over the year, but I’m having fun discovering new bands so it’s
definitely worth it. There’s no secret really, I guess just being lucky enough
to do what I want to do is all that matters.

SL) I’d be lying if I didn’t want to stray onto
matters relating to ‘Revengeance’, straight away so perhaps we can touch upon
it briefly. Track listing confirmed,
artwork looks awesome, but what many fans want to know, what can folks expect
from the new record? Certainly, having
listened to it repeatedly and digested it for a couple of weeks now, what is
apparent is the increase in intensity and the song writing has developed, it is an exciting record but remains
unmistakably Conan, give us your
impressions of the record.

You summed it
up in your last couple of sentences really. We want to keep progressing from
release to release, naturally, but at the same time we do not want to shed too
much skin. Our sound is, in some people’s opinion, pretty distinctive and we
don’t want to jeopardise that by changing too much. However, that being said,
we do not deliberately write any certain way…. We just do what comes naturally
and our music kind of speaks for itself. “Revengeance”
is definitely more complete than our other releases; it is more aggressive and
more complex. You can see that we have been touring and playing a lot, the
songs are more diverse and more interesting and I think people who like us
already will love it. People who don’t know us yet will also find it engaging
and will hopefully come and check out a show.

SL) With each album your sound has strayed away
from the earlier, perhaps more drone based nature of “Horseback Battle Hammer’,
adding dynamics and yet you always retain that overwhelming heaviness. Was the record forged upon a strict blueprint
or was there a natural progression, given that 2/3 of the band were new. For example your new drummer, also plays in a
more progressive almost Meshuggah esque
band, did that influence the song writing?

The writing
process for “Revengeance” was as
natural as it could be. Our very first rehearsal yielded the title track “Revengeance” and this kind of set the
tone for the rest of the record. Every time the three of us got in a practice
room we were able to produce new music and the whole album came together really
easily, more easily perhaps than we expected. I did write the odd riff on my
own, like I used to on previous releases, but this time it felt like everyone
in the room was on the same wavelength and it just clicked, it was the most fun
I’ve had in the studio by far. In the past I have had to work hard to convince
others in the band that the ideas were right, which sometimes became a drag,
but with Chris and Rich (two very accomplished and open minded musicians)
communication was very clear and very open.

SL). Switching
back to you as a guitarist, Can
you remember who are what inspired you to pick up the guitar? Are there any
bands, guitarists, currently on the scene that continue to inspire you and push
you to try new things?

I was inspired to pick up the guitar in my mid teens, I watched Nirvana play “Smells
Like Teen Spiri”t on The Word (Channel 4) and was trying to learn basic
chords at the time, seeing them play such awesome music and only using bar
chords was quite an inspiration for me, it made me realise that you didn’t need
to be Scott Ian or Dave Mustaine to make cool music and I got pretty serious
after that, learning as much as I could from bands such as Altered Beast and Black Sabbath. There
are lots of guitarists out there that inspire me, I remember being inspired
watching Samothrace
when we toured with them in the USA in May 2015 and Renata Castagna and Bryan
Spinks, their interplay on the guitar was truly mesmerising and I couldn’t take
my eyes off them. Then you have Dave and Chris from Slomatics, two guys who inspired me when I
first heard them in 2005 on their “Flooding The Weir” cd. They have
always had awesome tone and write great songs, what they don’t know about tone
and pedals isn’t worth knowing. Another great guitarist is George from Gonga, I remember
writing to him when I heard them play on Radio 1 in (I think 2005 - they had
just released their debut) he told me to find my own tone, my own ‘path’ and so
I did. His advice was good advice. I saw them play in Liverpool
in 2006 and had them all sign my cd…. Proper fanboy.

SL).
Whilst we’re on the subject of inspiration or heroes for example, do you have 5
records that stand out as favourites, what influence did they have upon you and
what is it about those record that particular resonates amongst others?

1). Nirvana - “Nevermind”
- a classic now in most people’s minds. Taught me that heavy didn’t necessarily
mean Slayer or Megadeth.
2). Slomatics - everything they have ever
released. Tone and great song writing equals awesomeness.
3). High on Fire – “Surrounded By Thieves”. Dark
sounding metal without any of the annoying muscle flexing. A true head turner
and just listen to that guitar tone. “Matamp”.
4). Sepultura – “Beneath The Remains”. Furious chugging.
5). Weezer – “Pinkerton”. An ugly unwanted mutt
of an album, but with the best song writing ever. Weezer
are such a great band who can write pop music and still make it sound awesome
and cool.

SL) We digressed slightly, but because you’re involved
in so many things, I wanted to resist the urge to talk exclusively about the
record, so I hope you can forgive me.
Anyway, You’re a singleton on your first speed dating experience, you
got 3 minutes. Atlantean
Merch Co is something else you branched out on, gives us the low
down?

Atlantean merch started out as a way for me to sell band merch
in the USA for bands who wouldn’t usually be able to print and distribute out
there. I started this little venture with Renata Castagna of Samothrace (who lives in Seattle) and it is ticking along nicely. We
have shirts for sale in the USA
for bands such as Slomatics, Serpent Venom
and more. In the UK I handle
shirts for bands such as Primitive Man, Worship, Samothrace
and Khemmis. Can I have a blow job now please?

SL) Interestingly, when we first discussed doing
this interview, I took to social media to pose the question. ‘What was your
first band shirt you bought?’ What I
failed to say, was that mine wasn’t actually a band shirt but a Michael Jackson shirt off the back of the ‘Bad’
album, (I was young folks), next it was the Civil War shirt by Guns n Roses way back in ‘92. Can you remember the first band shirt you
bought with your own money; was it at a gig and what are thoughts about that
time looking back? How has the scene
changed since your teenage days?

I think I
bought it out of Kerrang and it was a shirt by the
band Destruction, I remember buying a studded
wristband too. I didn’t wear either for very long for some reason. After that I
remember buying an Anthrax ‘Persistence Of Time’ shirt in Majorca
off a tourist shirt shop, that was a weird place to find it. Maybe these were
the inspiration behind Atlantean :)!!!! I
honestly don’t know about how the scene has changed since I was a teenager as I
had no real part of it then, but now you can see that with the current abundance
of awesome festivals and the never ending stream of touring bands, we have a
very awesome and supportive scene. It’s cool to be part of it for sure,
although I never really knew it was here until we released “Horseback battle Hammer”.

SL) I guess for me, buying a ‘band’ shirt, represents
my love/dedication for the band and still does to this day and as I nearly push
40, that dedication is stronger than ever.
Speaking as a music fan, what is the significance of buying your
shirt? What does it represent to
you? Are you wishing to covey a message
or when you get down to the nuts and bolts is wearing a shirt simply because
you love the band?

Buying a
band’s shirt should be a statement of ‘I
love this band and you should too - go check them out’. It’s cool seeing
people wearing band merch for big and small bands, I love discovering new bands
by seeing their merch on people. For Conan, who have quite a
busy merch operation, it has always been important to get our message across
through our music, and also through our merch. You can look at a Conan shirt and immediately tell what the music is all
about and I think that cannot be said for a lot of bands.

SL) I remember watching the ‘I’m Broken’ video by Pantera way back in 94. Phil Anselmo alternates between wearing a Crowbar and an Eyehategod
shirt and immediately I went out and bought music by those bands. So a shirt can also be a powerful advert for
a band. As a band member yourself, does
stuff like that matter and I guess it would seem obvious to say, but you must
be stoked seeing a sea of people wearing Conan shirts?

Yeah man, I
love to see people wearing our merch but I always tend to shy away from wearing
band shirts openly when I’m playing as very early on we always got compared to
whatever band shirt I had on…… Usually High on Fire. Now I
tend to wear a black hooded top instead. I like seeing our merch on people
because I appreciate that they have showed their support in buying it and
promoting us by displaying it. We’re a hard working band and it means a lot
that people get us and understand what we are trying to do.

SL). Getting
back to the band and specifically for all the gear nerds out there, lets talk
about your current set. First of all, what guitar(s) are you using today and how
did you gravitate towards the guitar you currently use?

I currently use an EGC
Flying V. I always wanted one of the aluminium neck guitars but
could never afford one, and then I declared on Facebook that I was going to
order one and all of a sudden a friend messaged me saying he had one for sale,
and did I want to buy it. He gave me a great price and I bought it without
delay. It’s quite a heavy guitar but sits really nicely on my shoulders, I love
using it. It’s sound is quite brittle, quite ‘sharp’ sounding and so you have
to tame that a little but with my tuning it retains a clarity that I haven’t
found in other guitars.

SL).
What amps and pedals do you currently use?
Do you use a combination of amps, or a full half stack? Talk us through
your set up both in the studio and in the live environment

I currently use three amplifiers (not always on at the same time). I have
a Matamp Gt120
(newly made master volume version), a Matamp ‘GTL’ from 2005 that was originally made for a Wishbone Ash world tour
and a 70’s Matamp 120
watt slave amplifier that I have had rehoused by Matamp.

SL). What one pedal could not live without and
why?

My tuner pedal. Without it Chris would be forever tuning my guitar up for
me on stage as I can’t seem to play in tune very well.

SL). What are your amp/ pedal settings?

I haven’t a
clue :). Usually pretty bass heavy but with mids too, and loud. My fuzz pedal
has three knobs - Conan (volume), Girth (tone) and Grief (fuzz).

SL).
You might not be one for giving away
trade secrets, but ill ask the question anyway. What tunings do you use and
why, and as a result is there a specific brand / gauge of string you prefer
?

I play in dropped F so my guitar is tuned F C F A* D G. I use GHS boomer strings (70 gauge)
as my second string and on but my bottom string is a 0.8 D’Addario string that I
buy individually.

SL).
Do you personally think, there is any deeply help misconceptions about being in
a band?

Yes, there is
a misconception that somehow touring and being in a band equals not working
hard or not contributing to the world, when in fact it is one of the most
challenging ways to live and is one of the most rewarding and valuable things
that a person can do. Not many people can say they make a whole room smile, or
a whole room sing songs or entertain hundreds / thousands of people at a time….
You certainly can’t do that sitting behind a desk or talking about music.
Musicians should be treasured and should be the MOST rewarded in the industry,
not those who talk about music or do the admin behind the scenes.

SL). Moving back to “Revengeance” then, what/if anything immediately springs to mind when you think
about the completion of the record and how is the mood in the camp at present? Presumably there’s a busy year ahead of you?

Sadness
really, I always feel slightly miserable when we finish recording as I really
love being around the lads making music. When we finish recording, it usually
signals a quiet period for the band while we submit the masters and deal with
press and wait for the build up and the touring for the album, which is where
we are now. We’re on the cusp of a very busy year with lots of touring and
shows and all that fun stuff, I just love playing music and now our year is
more structured around release dates and press commitments the touring has to
be slightly more planned out… No more ‘want
to play next Friday?’ style shows, so everything seems to be in the future
until you get out on the road. We’re looking forward to loading the van and
getting out there - the more the better.

SL). Well
sir, as ever, it has been a real pleasure talking you, but before we go I would
personally like to express my excitement for the new record, I’m sure it is
going to take you guys to the next level and I’m sure you’re gonna have a busy
and successful 12 months ahead of you, do you have any final words before we
bring this edition of Amped & Doomed to an end?

Cheers Aaron,
glad you liked it. Thanks to all your readers who happen to support us and we
hope to see some packed venues this year.

Thursday, 28 January 2016

Certainly, when the band lay the grooves down, as they do on “Apollyon”, they are on fire: tight,
powerful and raucous. There is also a lovely Maiden-esque section which is just
fantastic. The final track is also the title track and is longer than other
songs here, such is often the way with stoner releases. Warm electric tones
coalesce with chugging riffs and a good hook to the vocals and music.

“Awakening” DD track listing:

1).
Silt Laden Black

2).
Black Sea

3).
Descending the North

4).
The Dream

5).
Halocline

6).
Revelation

7).
Turning Tides

8).
Apollyn

9).
Awakening

The Review:

Stoner
doom, with a hefty dose of Black Sabbath and Monster Magnet style psychedelia, Mother Crone
do not mess around. Song lengths are reassuringly concise, leading to a tight
and focused record which can switch between the instrumental thunder of opener “Silt
Laden Black” to the mellow vibes of “The Dream”. The
likes of “Black Sea” put the pedal to the metal, while “Halocline”
builds effectively from mellow to furious noise.

Vocals
are best described as “used sparingly,” but when the feature they are smoky and
intelligible. Rhythmically, the band tends to gallop rather than plod and if
there is one small criticism to be levelled, then it would be that the use of
the galloping triplet feel is a staple... or looking at it another way, the
album is held together by a unified approach, thus giving the band an
identifiable sound. Have a listen and make up your own mind.

Certainly,
when the band lay the grooves down, as they do on “Apollyon”, they are
on fire: tight, powerful and raucous. There is also a lovely Maiden-esque section which is just fantastic. The final
track is also the title track and is longer than other songs here, such is
often the way with stoner releases. Warm electric tones coalesce with chugging
riffs and a good hook to the vocals and music.
Mother Crone have put together a worthy
addition to their chosen genre, while forging their own identity in the
process. Well worth checking out. Just sit back and enjoy.

Horns swell as dim, low riffs wash over your mind, drums vacillate
between cold sweetness and strong blows and the stage of chaos is set by the
high screaming voice of unreason, formless yet voluminous and constant. Static
whispers through grating frequencies and primal percussion, augmented by
surprising claps and snaps, urges the dance of a readied, warring people. The Body’s latest is an opus to ecstatic
agony redolent of SWANS and Neurosis’ output. If no one deserves happiness, I
suggest here that it is earned.

“No One Deserves Happiness” CD//DD//LP track Listing

1) Wanderings

2) Shelter Is
Illusory

3) For You

4) Hallow/Hollow

5) Two Snakes

6) Adamah

7) Starving
Deserter

8) The Fall And
The Guilt

9) Prescience

10) The Myth Arc

The Review:

With
The Body’s fifth full-length, on Thrill Jockey,
one is presented an image of a negative plain where a person learns their
contentment, a grace through isolation and self-injurious means. Lee Buford and
Chip King display their pedigree in disharmony through measured, musical
violence and guest Maralie Armstrong (Humanbeast) lends
splendid vocal harmonies to this grim fray of a release.

Our
introduction to“No One Deserves
Happiness” is slow, sterile and beatific with the repeated sung admonition
by Armstrong to “go wait alone.” Horns swell as dim, low riffs wash over your
mind, drums vacillate between cold sweetness and strong blows and the stage of
chaos is set by the high screaming voice of unreason, formless yet voluminous
and constant. Static whispers through grating frequencies and primal
percussion, augmented by surprising claps and snaps, urges the dance of a
readied, warring people. We see, by the title “Shelter Is Illusory,” that we’re at last, at least secure in the
idea that no plan is safe and that what is seen as asylum is only perceived,
ephemeral.

Through
the duration of the songs to follow, a framework for hate’s sake is built on a
foundation of arrogance and contempt, based in vanity and pulchritude. From “For You,” a succinct offering of
searing pitches and erratic, stunning crashes of drums bleed into the next, “Hallow/Hollow,” a mire of the spirit
that ensnares unwary musical travelers where the siren’s song is for neither
light nor dawn. Next, in “Two Snakes,”
sub-bass and concussive blasts of programmed snares assail in tandem in short
form, whipping and pulling into another place of contemplation of punishment
labeled “Adamah.” These two tracks
comprise eight minutes of hate but, when weighed against the other sonic themes
established throughout the record, provide respite for the listener by
affording them a chance to dance for all they’re worth to the weird electronic
rhythms before plunging them into another sub-level of discordant, dragging
metal where horns begin to sound again through the obscuring fog of a track,
dedicated to a coward’s fate.

In
“Prescience,” the connection in one
between a mother’s love of literature and a father’s penchant for violence is
explored, first through a short, spoken-word word piece that clearly, blessedly
delineates the order of a life’s work in pain-causing and absorption of the
same and again through the music, which cleverly establishes the themes in a
sound schematic for sadomasochism.

Finally,
the arcs of the myths of existence are smashed in the concluding track, a
churning lull with choral arrangements and lingering riffs that caps the work
brilliantly, leaving one to regain their senses and return to paralyzing normal
life. The Body’s latest is an opus to ecstatic
agony redolent of SWANS and Neurosis’ output. If no one deserves happiness, I suggest
here that it is earned.

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

The title track opens proceedings with a succinct distillation of Hag’s sound. The band take their weighty brand of Melvins-indebted stoner rock and blur the edges with a shot of blown-out psychedelia. If the idea of latter day Kylesa covering “Houdini” sounds like your idea of fun, this is a record for you.This is a great collection from Hag which should earn them a formidable reputation as exponents of high quality riffcraft

“Fear of Man” DD//LP track listing:

1). Fear of Man

2). Kingdom O

3). Rainbow Dust

4). Trauma Yauma

5). Low

6). Metal Detector Man

7). White Lion

8). Beaten At Your Own Game

9). Wrong Bar

The Review:

Sometimes the best things come to those who wait, and in this case those things are riffs. “Fear of Man” is the debut album from London trio, Hag following a 6 year gap after the release of their debut EP. Anyone who has been waiting is not going to be disappointed as the 9 tracks here make a solid case for elevating the band to the upper echelons of the UK’s heaviest.

The title track opens proceedings with a succinct distillation of Hag’s sound. The band take their weighty brand of Melvins-indebted stoner rock and blur the edges with a shot of blown-out psychedelia. If the idea of latter day Kylesa covering “Houdini” sounds like your idea of fun, this is a record for you.

The highlights of “Fear of Man” come when Hag stretch their songs out past the 5 minute mark. “Rainbow Dust” begins with a huge, sweeping, slide-enhanced riff, evoking a widescreen, dustbowl panorama. The band alternate between this sound and restless, noise rock, crafting a captivating, epic desert voyage. “Trauma Yauma” opens with Hag at their most aggressive, frantic drums pummel the listener before the band calm into a nagging, insistent, one-note groove. This eventually erupts into a searing acid-drenched solo, showing what Hag are capable of when they cut loose and reach for the skies.

This is a great collection from Hag which should earn them a formidable reputation as exponents of high quality riffcraft. “Fear of Man” is currently only available digitally via bandcamp but hopefully a vinyl release is on the way, it would be great to see the awesome cover art on a 12” if nothing else.

Much like Tarot's “The Warrior's Spell” from last year the record is a kind of mixture of stoner/prog/doom/rock/psych. It is not necessarily riff led, or structured in the conventional sense, but this adds to its charm. It makes for a dynamic and melancholic listen as the music washes over you.High Priest of Saturn have written and recorded a superior meeting of styles in this sophomore release. I highly recommend that you sit back, relax and just listen.

“Son of Earth and Sky” CD//LP track listing:

1). Aeolian Dunes

2). Ages Move the Earth

3). Son of Earth and Sky

4). The Warming Moon

5). The Flood of Waters

The Review:

Norwegian stoner/doom/psychedelia. High Priest of Saturn are now on their second album, and it is a corker. Female vocals and Hammond organ swirl together over suitably dreamy riffage and retro sounding drums. If that sounds like quite a few other outfits around these days, I can confirm that this is not a case of the Emperor's New Clothes; the band have an original sound and a superior quality to the material showcased here. “Aeolian Dunes” has all the aforementioned and an ethereal mellower section through its mid point before crashing waves of sound finish the track off.

“Ages Move the Earth” starts in a mellow and trippy style- warmer in sound that one might expect from a band from Trondheim- with dynamics used to slowly build the track up. Much like Tarot's“The Warrior's Spell” from last year the record is a kind of mixture of stoner/prog/doom/rock/psych. It is not necessarily riff led, or structured in the conventional sense, but this adds to its charm. It makes for a dynamic and melancholic listen as the music washes over you. The song lengths certainly add to this feel of a kind of musical journey, rather than individual tracks; three are around the nine or ten minute mark, with vocals used sparingly. The shorter two tracks make up the latter half of the album with a more direct approach- more vocals, more straightforward in their sounds. By the time “The Flood of Waters” slowly reveals itself, the listening experience is a truly immersive one.

If you are looking for a melding of genres, with enough heavy to keep you happy then look no further. High Priest of Saturn have written and recorded a superior meeting of styles in this sophomore release. I highly recommend that you sit back, relax and just listen.

Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Rivers of Nihil are one of the leading lights of the tech-death genre. With their second full length, “Monarchy”, (review) the band have made a brilliant addition to the genre and pushed the boundaries of it a little into the bargain. We caught up with bassist/vocalist Adam Biggs for this illuminating chat about the concept behind “Monarchy”, touring with the greats and what might be next for the band. His considered and thoughtful responses can be read below..."

SL). Firstly, congratulations on one of the best, maybe even THE best, death metal releases of 2015. It blew me away when I heard it and I have found myself returning to it again and again (along with Arkaik's “Lucid Dawn” and Eschaton's “Sentinel Apocalypse”). As we are a music blog, any band recommendations for readers both here in the UK and around the world?A few newer bands put out new records last year that I really enjoyed. Native Construct, Abhorrent, Dark Sermon, and Wrvth to name a few. So everyone check those bands out if you haven’t already.SL). I would like to ask you about the seasonal concept of your records so far. Tell me, why the seasons?The idea initially was just to make the subject matter in our songs a little more focused. In the EP’s we did as an unsigned band, the lyrical concepts seemed a little all over the map. In a band like ours where it’s not just one person writing ALL of the lyrics there almost has to be a guideline to make things feel like there’s some solidarity in the subject matter. To me, the choice of the seasonal concept seemed like a win, it’s very relatable and broad so we can write about a lot of things within it, but it also feels like it’s going somewhere. Also it can represent so much to do with life and death and the passage of time, which is what we’re really writing about here. Lastly, it’s sort of a very Pennsylvanian thing; we get a heavy dose of each season here, so it’s sort of what we know.

SL). In relation to “Monarchy” how is the season of summer represented (aside from in the awesome and evocative cover art)?

The story behind the record involves a tyrannical government system based on sun worship, and it takes place on a future version of Earth that has become a massive desert where the sun never sets. So in that way it ties those things in visually. But like I said, it all represents a step in time, a passage in time. So on an emotional level, the summer sort of represents adolescence and coming to grips with what the world you live in is really like, which is a concept we tried to communicate in the lyrics. SL). Can you tell us about any plans for future albums and how the seasonal concept with manifest going forward?Like anything else, this all sort of takes shape during the writing process. I do have some plans for how that all works in, but I’ll probably not say anything for now, as it will most likely turn out differently than I imagine it now. SL). The vocals are a very strong part of “Monarchy” for me- the lyrics are well expressed and enunciated. Was this important to the band and if so for what reason?

Absolutely. For Jake, his vocal style was always sort of in flux early on, there was no focus at all on hearing what he was saying. The further we got into this whole thing, the more we started to care about lyrics and how the shape the emotion of the music, and if people can’t understand what he’s saying at all then it’s kind of pointless to care at all, right?

So starting with “The Conscious Seed of Light” we really focused on enunciation of the words in the studio. The rule for “Monarchy” was basically that if Grant couldn’t make out the words during a vocal take without looking at the lyrics sheet then we knew we had to do it again.

SL). As noted in my review of the record, I know how much work goes into getting to the standard of musicianship showcased on “Monarchy” (particularly with regards to drums, being a drummer myself). Do you guys still practice a lot or is band rehearsal and gigging practice enough these days?

We really don’t practice that much at all as a group. We all live pretty far from one another now; Brody and I live in Reading, PA where the band started, Jon lives in Long Island, NY, our drummer lives about two hours west of us, and Jake lives in Arizona. So we get together when we can, and before we leave for tour and such, but I’d say a good 95% of practice responsibility in the band falls squarely in the individual. If you don’t practice enough on your own it’s going to show when we actually do get together, and no one wants to be that guy.

SL). Do you have any plans to play in the UK? We would love to see you over here at some point.

Unfortunately no as of now. We would love to make it over there someday soon. Just no solid plans as of yet.

SL). How was it playing with some of the biggest death metal bands on the planet? Any highlights?

It’s always cool to share the stage with bands who have really built the genre from the ground up because you get to see how they operate. It’s always interesting to get small bits of what they’ve learned over the years, and see what they’ve incorporated that isn’t necessarily considered the “old school” standard (and what is). I think honestly the biggest highlight for me is just experiencing it all; it’s something that just a few short years ago I didn’t really think I’d get to do, and it could really just be taken away at any time.

SL). What do you think the future holds for death metal? Bands seem to get more and more tech, faster and faster... where will it all end?!

Well it’ll take a step backwards for a while most likely. There are already a lot of bands sort of regressing into the whole “retro” death metal thing. Trying to breathe new life into that early 90’s Florida style of death metal. But someone will always figure out a way to go 5 bpm faster than the last guy, people are starting to have to get pretty inventive to pull it off but they still do it.

For me I think the real step forward is in adding dynamics. 10 years ago it was pretty tough to get any kind of emotional relief from death metal (other than anger of course), and I think a lot of bands are starting to incorporate some new styles, to bring out a broader emotional spectrum in the genre. Whether or not that pleases purists is a different topic I guess. SL). When I first started listening to death metal, circa 1993, the feeling at the time was that Death would never be matched and “Human” and “ITP” never bettered by any band playing within the genre. Do you think any band has improved upon or totally blown away those records in the tech-prog-death genre?

It’s hard to say, it’s all art and it’s supposed to be subjective right? “Human” and “Individual Thought Patterns” are amazing albums, and they’ll always be around, no one can take that away. Have people gone faster, heavier, or more technical? Yeah sure maybe, but it doesn’t really matter. I think what’s important is that each burgeoning generation of musicians has their own goals in mind, if someone really wants to one-up Death, they might do it, but it doesn’t matter at all because those Death records are still there, still influencing people.

SL). If you had to pick one style of metal from any region of the world, which would you pick as a favourite and why?

I really like my progressive metal. I grew up on bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Yes, and didn’t really dive into metal until I was a little older, so seeing those two genres cross paths in such a big way with bands like Between the Buried and Me, Opeth, Cynic, and Devin Townsend Project (to name a few) is really inspiring to me. I also think that this type of metal can be really dynamic and expressive which is a quality I really admire when metal bands can pull it off successfully.

SL). Are there any bands you would love to play some shows with?

Fallujah comes to mind. We got a chance to play a few shows with them on a tour we did before they had to drop off due to vehicle issues which sucked. So we’ve always wanted to give that another shot. Also Beyond Creation andBlack Crown Initiate. Those three and us is a tour package I’d really love to see happen at some point down the line. It’d be a lot of fun. SL). Was it a conscious decision to construct a flow throughout “Monarchy”- rage giving way to more progressive and dreamy soundscapes as the record progresses?At first no, not really. But when everything was done being written and we had a chance to work on the track layout we saw an opportunity to make that sort of flow happen and we just went for it. I think the jury is still out on whether or not it’s an approach we’ll take again, but it was a good experiment, and something I was proud of us for doing. I think a lot of bands would have shied away from doing something like that for fear of making a lopsided album, but we just sort of went for it and I think it turned out alright.SL). Finally, tech-death/death metal is often judged to be a one dimensional genre without songs or feel/emotion. How would you say you have overcome the restrictions of the genre?By just doing what we like. In this day and age, a person can get a hold of SO much music and be influenced by so many different things, we sort of try to incorporate as much of what we like into our music as we can because why the hell not? Being in a room writing music and having a bunch of unspoken restrictions about what to do and what not to do doesn’t sound like a lot fun to me.

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks